Plain City’s new Village Planner is doing a “complete review” of the zoning code rewrite before council votes on the document, although he said it will likely only extend the process through early 2023.
“As a whole, we’ve got a really good start,” said Village Planner Derek Hutchinson, adding that he plans to make “a few minor changes.”
The village hosted a public hearing surrounding the zoning code updates during the council meeting Monday, as the hearing was scheduled prior to the resignation of former Village Planner Taylor Brill and subsequent hiring of Hutchinson.
Hutchinson emphasized, though, that no decision would be made Monday.
While he classified proposed changes as minor, he said they are still significant enough to revisit the public hearing process once complete.
He said changes will go before the planning and zoning committee once again and the public will have the opportunity to comment during a hearing before council prior to council members casting their votes.
Hutchinson said he is specifically focused on “the commercial side of it,” as a number of local business owners have reached out to him about updates to the code.
Eric Medici, one of the business owners who has raised concerns, spoke during the public hearing.
He said he and a number of other community members are confused about how the rewrite will affect conditional uses.
Village Law Director Paul La Fayette clarified that conditional uses are tied to the property, not the owner of the building or tenant.
He also noted that prior nonconforming uses are protected by Ohio law, meaning that conditional uses will be grandfathered in with the approval of the updated zoning code.
However, Hutchinson said he plans to continue to review how the code will affect commercial properties.
For instance, as the proposed update is currently written, drive-thrus are not permitted in any part of the village, which Hutchinson said he does not believe is the actual intent.
Aside from the effect on businesses, council members were urged to consider how the rewrite will impact the environment.
Heather Doherty, with the Scenic River Program of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said the code should aim to “protect the natural resources you already have” and encourage low-impact development.
Ideally, Doherty said development should aim to “mimic what would be happening without us” by reducing the amount of runoff created.
She highlighted changes made to the code regarding conservation development, which is a “development pattern” that landowners may elect into.
Doherty explained that the conservation development clusters homes on smaller lots in areas that are considered more suitable for development. Developments under this category must have at least 50% green space, permanently dedicated as a natural conservation area.
The minimum front, rear and side setbacks are generally reduced to 80% of that district’s standards.
She said she is concerned that a revision of the proposed code would increase the lot sizes required by developers who opt in.
While Doherty said she understands the appeal of larger lots, she said “no one’s going to go for that option” if it means developers can build fewer homes than if they didn’t opt in.
She asked council to consider the “trade off” of reverting to the initial, smaller lot sizes, which she believes would result in more recreational green space throughout the village.
Council thanked the public for their participation and said their comments would be considered as Hutchinson continues to review the proposed updates.
Council President Michael Terry said he feels “we are 90 to 95% of the way there.”
Hutchinson said the “best case” is that a first reading of the legislation would go before council in January, but Terry said it will more likely be in February considering the need for additional public hearings.
Council also held a separate public hearing Monday regarding the property maintenance code.
Council Clerk/Management Analyst Justin Dreier said he feels it would be wise to adopt the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, as most municipalities abide by its standards.
The code provides guidelines surrounding the abatement of “problem properties” such as those with “junk cars” or unkempt areas, he explained.
Dreier said he would ideally like to approve the property maintenance code at the time council approves the updated zoning code.